Team
Maysaa Shuja al-Deen is a senior researcher at Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies. Her writing and analyses have been featured in many media outlets such as Jadaliyya, Assafir al Araby, al Araby al Jadeed, and Al-Monitor.
Shuja Al-deen holds a master’s degree in Islamic Studies from the American University in Cairo. The focus of her thesis was the Radicalization of Zaydism.
Maysaa's latest contributions
The Mandatory Celebration of Hardship
November 14, 2022
In the past, the Yemeni state celebrated only holidays that held national significance. These included the anniversaries of several major political moments in Yemen’s history: September 26, marking th…
The Ismaili Minority: Between Oppression and Integration
October 18, 2022
Ismailis are the second biggest Shia community worldwide after the Twelver Shia, but while in Yemen they are outnumbered by both Sunnis and Zaidi Shia they have deep historical roots in the countr…
Avoiding the Fate of a Powerless President
September 8, 2022
Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was in many ways an absolute ruler, exercising his authority in a manner that often exceeded his constitutional powers. In doing so he was following the traditional…
Entrenched Power: The Houthi System of Governance
July 11, 2022
One of the challenges to ending the war in Yemen is the changing nature of the Yemeni state under Houthi rule. The Zaidi Shia movement has created facts on the ground that considerably complicate …
Taiz in Power
May 3, 2022
For the first time in Yemen’s modern history, the executive and legislative branches of the government are headed by figures hailing from the governorate of Taiz. Rashad al-Alimi was appointed head of…
